Tasneem Hossain - Stop violence against women and girls

STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS

‘The body of an eighth-grader was recovered from Hatirjheel Lake on Sunday, 17 days after she went missing from Dhaka's Dakshinkhan. The 13-year-old was abducted on January 16 and later gang-raped and murdered’-

- The Daily Star, February 4, 2025

‘An eight-year-old girl who was raped while visiting her sister’s in-laws' house in Magura is still unconscious three days after the incident, with doctors saying her condition is critical.’

What a tragic end to these blooming girls!

These are just two of the incidents published in two of the leading dailies in Bangladesh.

These aren’t isolated cases. Worldwide, you will find the media splashed with different kinds of horrific incidents of violence against women and girls occurring every day.

This has to stop!  

‘Freedom cannot be achieved unless women have been emancipated from all kinds of oppression’- Nelson Mandela

Our Creator created men and women equally with rights and duties equally divided by Him. But men took advantage of their physical power and forced women to be subjugated to their mercy and imposed unreasonable restrictions. Not only that, women became targets of violence of different forms. Innumerable studies reveal the wide spread nature of violence against women due to the gender difference and bias against women.

Studies suggest, globally one in three women has been raped, beaten, coerced into sex or abused in her life time; 35 percent women and girls experience some form of physical and or sexual violence. In some countries, the statistics are much higher around 70 percent.  Women comprise almost 50 percent of all human trafficking victims for slavery and sexual exploitation; 650 million women and girls in the world are forced to marry before the age of 18. Female genital mutation crosses 200 million women and girls in 30 countries.  About 15 million girls between 15 and 19 experience forced sex at some point in their lives. Women are victimized by battering, psychological abuse, marital rape, femicide, destroying female fetus, forced sexual acts, child sexual abuse, eve teasing, stalking, cyber- harassment etc. Most women face neglect, discrimination and oppression throughout their lives too.

Violence of any form not only leads to physical injuries, but has significant consequences on the mental and emotional health as well.  Violence against women both at home and outside their homes has been a threatening issue through ages.

In India, Bangladesh and in many other Asian countries, women are suppressed and subjugated in a patriarchal society where male violence against women is just another issue.

The causes of male violence against women are perhaps rooted in the dynamics of power domination and traditional control of men over women. Women become easy prey due to their vulnerability. Patriarchal family structure gives an upper hand to men. The social pattern is also a contributing factor where women and girls are made to believe from childhood that they are weak and dependent on men. The glorification of the image of an ideal woman who suffers in silence has enslaved women to live in a culture that allows violence against them both at home and workplace. Marriage also gives men the opportunity to isolate women into captivity at home.

This unequal power relation within the family and the world outside makes women an easy target of male oppression, exploitation and abuse.

Global situations like war and conflict have further intensified violence against women and girls (VAWG) and worsened risk factors by displacement. Also, climate change is a catalyst. Digitalization is adding online violence against women and girls along with the existing ones. At the same time, anti-rights movements and anti-feminist groups are counter acting against women’s rights organisations, weakening the cause for women.

Though, gender-based violence can happen to anyone, anywhere, young girls, older women, women who identify as lesbian, bisexual, transgender or intersex, migrants and refugees, indigenous women and ethnic minorities, or women and girls living with HIV and disabilities are particularly at risk. Critical adverse psychological, sexual and reproductive health consequences affect women and girls at all stages of their lives.

Most of the affected women and girls do not seek help. Violence remains largely unreported due to fear and stigma. Though, 144 countries have laws concerning domestic violence, those are not always enforced properly. Silence of the victim and impunity of the perpetrator results in increased violence.

Through the years, government officials and international leaders have concentrated efforts to curb VAWG. Sadly, it continues to be widespread worldwide.

Despite the adoption of the Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) by the UN General Assembly in 1979, VAWG remains a global threat.

Since 1981, women right’s activists observe November 25 as a day against gender-based violence. They chose this day to honor the three Mirabal sisters (political activists) in the Dominican Republic who opposed the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. They were brutally murdered on November 25th, 1960.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women on December 20, 1993; their goal was to eradicate violence against women and girls worldwide. Later, on February 7, 2000, the UN officially proclaimed November 25th as the International day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. This day starts 16 days of activism, which ends on December 10th, Human Rights Day.

The 16 days of activism campaign, led by the UN Secretary-General and UN Women since 2008, aims to prevent and eliminate VAWG around the world, calling for global action to increase awareness, promote advocacy and create opportunities for discussion on challenges and solutions on this critical issue.

In 2006, the #MeToo movement, founded by activist Tarana Burke triggered global mobilisation in preventing and responding to violence against women and girls by the grassroots activists, women’s human rights activists and violence survivor advocates.

Unfortunately, there’s still a long way to go. Till now, only two out of three countries have outlawed domestic violence.  Thirty-seven countries worldwide still exempt rape perpetrators from prosecution, if they are married to or eventually marry the victim and 49 countries currently have no laws protecting women from domestic violence.

Elimination of violence against women might seem a far cry, but active participation in a large scale can be a strong catalyst in helping achieve this target. It needs coordinated action of feminist groups integrated with justice, good governance, health, financial and other sectors.

The age of digitalization along with technological advances has also brought a growing threat of online abuse and harassment for women and girls. New technologies like AI are making these worse by Image-based abuse and violence against women. This form of abuse is spreading fast.

Some of the examples of digital abuse are:

Cyberbullying and online threats.

Image baed abuse, sharing intimate images. Also, AI generated fake images. 

Online harassment, stalking and sexual harassment. 

Hate speech, disinformation and publishing private information on online platforms. 

Online stalking to monitor someone’s activities.

Misogynistic networks like manosphere etc. 

These digital acts often lead to offline violence in real life too, such as coercion, physical abuse, and sometimes femicide. Digital violence targets more women than men, especially digital presence of women public figures like activists, human rights advocates, journalists, politicians and young women. More so, for women facing intersectional discrimination. At present, digital abuse is one of the fastest-growing forms of gender-based violence threatening women and girls across the globe – both online and offline. 

We need to recognize and stop it immediately by taking strict measures to punish the perpetrators and the platforms allowing this for profit.

At the same time women and girls also need to equip themselves to spot the signs of abuse, take action, and reclaim their digital space.

The theme for Stop Violence against Women and Girls in 2025 is "UNiTE to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls".

This theme aims to mobilise all to stand in solidarity with women’s rights activists and to support feminist movements around the world to make this world free of this heinous trend against women. It calls the governments to end impunity to the perpetrators and enforce laws that penalize; tech companies to ensure platform safety, remove harmful content (s) and enforce codes of conduct; urges donors to provide funding to feminist organisations working to end violence against women. It asks people to raise their voices to speak out, support survivors, and challenge harmful online norms.

Spotting signs and recognising the pattern early is one of the strongest ways to stop it. Spotting red flags in digital abuse:

It often starts with seemingly simple things like partners requesting for passwords or sharing images that make the user uncomfortable. These might lead to threats of sharing photos if their demands aren’t met. 

Sending inappropriate messages or unknown people making vulgar comments that make the user uncomfortable or afraid 

Demanding behavior and conversations of the users’ contacts on social media messengers or phone.

Sending abusive comments and images.

Distorted images surfacing online.

Impersonation on online groups 

It is always helpful to take safety measures to prevent abuse. Recognizing the signs, the following actions should be taken immediately: 

Block and report

Use the tools to remove unwanted images or videos.

Take screenshots and links for evidence, for reporting.

Lock profile, change password and enable two-factor authentication

Limit who can tag.

Check if there are malicious spywares and tracking apps.

Share it with someone trustworthy.

Seek help from police or relevant agencies in the country.

You can Join the UNiTE campaign from 25 November to 10 December and take action to stop digital abuse against women and girls. Uniting and supporting strong, autonomous women’s rights organisations and feminist movements is the key to end VAWG. Also, take part in the UNITE campaign to end violence against women by wearing orange to symbolise a brighter future for women.

Less than 40 per cent of women who experience violence seek help of any sort. They stay silent due to the stigma attached. We need to stand by them and share our voices to speak out loud and clear against these injustices. If you know someone who might be suffering from abuse or any sort of harassment- report it. Research shows that when others speak up or report harmful behaviour, it discourages the perpetrator and helps platforms detect the abuser faster. Challenge beliefs of traditional concept of toxic masculinity. Create awareness against violence and donate for its cause. Join in movements to attract policy makers to make stronger laws to implement preventive measures. Support women’s leadership in decision making.

Violence against women is perhaps the most shameful and most pervasive human rights violation. It knows no boundaries of geography, culture or wealth. As long as it continues, we cannot claim to be making real progress towards equality, development and peace.

Online and digital platforms should empower women and girls. Yet the digital world has become a deep dark pit of harassment, abuse, and control for millions of women and girls every day.

Digital abuse has become a pandemic.

Let’s fight this virus of injustice and eliminate violence against women and girls.

Act NOW before it’s too late.

Tasneem Hossain is a multilingual poet, columnist, op-ed and fiction writer, educator, translator and training consultant. She is the Director of Continuing Education Centre, Bangladesh.

References:

National Day Calendar, Celebrate Every Day.

 In focus: 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, UN WOMEN, 18 November 2022